Chase

Chapter 4

The next couple of days were normal. No training of any sort and no major events. Most of the contestants would just explore the cave. Astoria spent most of her time in her room thinking about how everything would be and what she would be doing if it were a normal day, and she wasn't being trained to lead a city of thirteen thousand people. It wasn't something that surprised her. Astoria knew from a young age she would have to do something like this, but it wasn't something she wanted to do. If she could, she would have left like her friends and discovered what's left of the world, since Alvis separated itself from the other lands almost 100 years ago. That's what she'd do if she became the president; she would lead a search of the outside land.

Kristian knocked on her door. The last time they talked was at lunch on the first day. It had now been their sixth day there. Astoria opened the door thinking it was Cora. They had spent time getting to know each other and they had grown to be good friends.
When she opened the door, Kristian was facing the other side and quickly turned around.
"What do you want?" She looked at him with eyes of irritation.
"I came to apologize for the other day. I overreacted about trying to protect you-"
"So, you admit you were trying to protect me. Why would you need to do that?" They both walked in, Kristian sat in one of the lounge chairs, and Astoria stood on the edge of her bed.
"My mom told me I should. She knew you would be here, so she suggested I try to help you because I have more experience than you in leadership. Also, because I know most of these people."
She felt grateful for that, but it still didn't sit right. Why would he try to help her? He could've refused his mom's suggestion but didn't. Astoria remembers him being rebellious, so this didn't seem normal to her.
"Thank you, but I don't need your help. I can get through this myself."
"Yeah, I get it...If you would like, I want to show somewhere."
"Yeah, just give me a minute."
He stood up and walked towards the door while Astoria rummaged through her closet, trying to find something to wear. She had a tight black shirt and loose pants, but she wasn't sure if she should wear them. She examined herself in the mirror to see how the outfit looked.
Kristian was standing at the door and suggested, "You should wear that; it would look nice on you." She noticed the blood rushed to her cheeks and her flesh was hot. She took the clothes and went straight to the washroom. She quickly got dressed and let her hair out of the braid.
"Are you ready?" she asked with a subtle smile.
"Yea. You look nice."
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself."
The two walked out into the hallway, they went towards a fork-like road. Astoria had only been down three of the four roads. Kristian led her down the one on the far left. She had never been down this one.
The cave was dark but had light at the end. The walls were covered with rose thorns and dead roses. Through the dust was writing, but it was illegible. The more they walked, the closer they were to the light. Everything was cleaner the closer they got. The writing started to be clearer. Some of it said, "loss of life." She didn't know what that meant, but it meant this used to do with dying. This could've been a morgue or hospital before being destroyed by wars.
The second they reached the light; it was a garden. Vines all along the walls covering the glass. Eight rows of plants in the middle. The roses caught her eye. They weren't the red roses she was used to seeing. The tips were faded golden, while the rest of the rose was white and red. They reminded her of her house. White exterior, red inside walls, and golden accents.
"You like them?" Kristian asked.
"You grew these?"
"No, but I came here on the first day and saw them. They reminded me of you.
"Why?"
"Roses are beautiful and seem harmless, but their thorns make them dangerous."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Everyone portrays you as an innocent child. They assume things about you. "That you have no strength and only the purity from your heart." You don't believe that is true. I know you have layers. As well as the roses fade into white. Your helplessness fades into strength when you choose for it to come out."
"Wow. You know me."
"I studied."
This was never in mind for her when planning out how she would spend her time at the chase. Astoria imagined spending her time in her room reading or resting from training, though there hadn't been training since the first day.
"How have you been liking it here?" he said.
"It's fine. It's not different than how it is at home. Are you close to your family?"
"Yea. I get along with my siblings and my parents are not very demanding. "What about you?"
"My siblings go weeks without talking to me and my parents forget I'm in the house."
"You have a very interesting family life Astoria."
"I didn't know interesting meant sad and lonely."
"That's dark."
"If that's dark wait till the lifeless creature comes for you." Kristian cackled.
The two left the underground garden and walked back through the tunnel. White walking Astoria noticed words on the tunnel walls again, but they were different. They read" of torture." Back in the middle of the tunnel people were eating lunch and talking. She didn't notice time passing away, she was busy with Kristian.
Kristian went to finish something, so Astoria decided to eat. She again picked the first thing on the menu. She wrote ideas she had in her mind on a paper she found in her room. She felt that writing her feelings into ideas. In the middle of her writing, she heard footsteps coming towards her. There was Cora.
"Hey, come with me."
She sounded distressed. Astoria was led into the Middle of the cave where the entrance was. In the middle of the thrones were two people. Athelia Epona and Velas Pallas. They just lay, they weren't dead but more paralyzed.
"I was walking to the dining hall and saw them. I didn't know what to do and-"
"Cora go get Dario, I'll stay."
"Ok"
She left and Astoria stood there. The only thing that she kept thinking about was the words in the cave. "Of tortured."